Agricultural Machinery

Agricultural machinery technicians work in the fields of service management or parts management. These workers may be employed by farm machinery dealerships, farm suppliers, feed and fertilizer agencies or corporate farms and ranches.

Certificate and associate's degree programs are available in agricultural machinery technology, mechanized agriculture, agriculture mechanics and similar areas. Specialized technical training is important because of the complexity of modern agricultural equipment, which contains computers, electronics and hydraulics. Coursework examines agricultural machinery power systems and includes hands-on experience. The machinery studied may include tilling, planting and harvesting equipment.

While certificate programs tend to focus solely on the operation and maintenance of agricultural machinery, associate's degree programs allow students to broaden their studies with electives. Agribusiness courses are a common elective choice for aspiring technicians who are interested servicing, selling and marketing agricultural machinery.

Agricultural Engineering, also called biological and agricultural engineering, is the branch of engineering concerned with maximizing the efficient use of natural resources. This manifests itself primarily in relation to food, since Agricultural Engineering seeks to improve the way food is grown, stored and transported.

There are dozens of agricultural schools with Animal Science majors, but how do you know which ones are the best?. U.S. News and World Report ranks Cornell University, the University of California-Davis and Pennsylvania State University among the top Animal Science agricultural Schools.

An Agricultural Scientist studies farm crops, animals, irrigation and soil techniques and its impact on society. Agricultural Scientists must have a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science.